FREE SEX

For as much homeliness and conservativeness this culture breeds into its youth, there seems to be an overwhelmingly popular, albeit underground, curiousity- and at some point in the near future a complete obsession- with sex. To be fair, I don't know about the female side. I'm lucky if an Indian girl even looks at me, let alone talks to me. Sex, naturally, isn't the first topic I raise... plus, my Hindi hasn't really gotten to that point yet. Pillow talk in Hindi could be pretty ridiculous. But the guys- they couldn't be more blunt. And blunt here, especially when talking dirty, can be hilarious. Fuck the introductions, these guys want to talk about sex- and they always ask the same question, "Do you have free sex in America?" Obviously, my response is, "What exactly IS free sex?" Here are some of the best explanations:
"Free sex everywhere you want, yes?
"Like, fucking all the time, like, in the street."
"You can have sex with so many girls, like oral."

And then they tell me that they're all virgins. I've been called old and have been asked what is wrong with me since I'm 25 and not married. It doesn't really click that people get married after the age of 18 in America. One person asked what I eat, because I don't look 25! It makes me laugh every time. But it says something about youth and culture, sex and taboo. I think it foreshadows a transition that India will have to make- and sexually modesty is a ship that won't go down easily.
It's a strange feeling to always be associated with such a promiscuous and lewd society- especially as a young adult who is part of the pop generation. I can't deny it- I know my American identity has very few restraints in the bedroom compared to many other parts of the world. It does make me sad to see how quickly kids shrug off intimacy as trivial and empty themselves for empty pursuits. Are we losing the meaning of sex while other cultures are holding on? Or are they trying to "slip in" to our national orgy at the expense of their own histories?
An extremely obvious manifestation of this culture clash is the contraband sale and purchase of what seems to be Indian porno. I think I have the pleasure of being exposed to this because I literally am living in a place known for sleeze-balls, hawkers, drug deals, and shady characters- I'm having a blast. But there are these stands of magazines that look like porn but haven't crossed the line of complete nudity and absurd positions. (I haven't looked IN one yet, just the cover... note "yet") They have younger Indian girls in clothing where some of their skin is showing- sometimes a wet white button-down and a Catholic School plaid skirt- complete with pleats. I saw someone open one up- which made him extremely uncomfortable, after which he shoved it down his coat- but before it disappeared, only to reappear somewhere else which is not nearly as entertaining of a thought as the Indian subjects, I saw a picture. Seductive and attractive- but not a shred of flesh past the thigh and below the neck line was available. All left for the imagination... So even pornography hasn't made that leap from sari to steamy, topee to topless. But the interest is there, and the layer of clothes is starting to disappear.